Chapter 37: "The Worst Match-up" – Lee’s impressive martial arts easily make short work of Naruto and Sasuke, even rendering the Sharingan useless. Lee explains that while Sasuke can see his moves, his body is too slow to react to Lee’s insane speed. However, before Lee can unleash an unnecessarily powerful move, he is interrupted by someone telling him to stop.

Chapter 38: "Start" – Introduces Might Guy. Lee’s Jounin trainer appears riding a turtle and looking like an older version of Lee. He gives Lee physical discipline about abusing his moves and also talks to the team about his eternal rival, Kakashi. The team then heads off to finally enter the exam together.

Chapter 39: "Challengers" – Introduces Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino and Yakushi Kabuto. Kabuto, a veteran of the Chuunin exam, gives everyone a few tips on how to complete it. Sakura and Ino argue over Sasuke while Naruto shoots his mouth off in a fit of overconfidence, which only provokes a trio from the crowd to test his claims.

Chapter 40: "The First Test" – Introduces Dosu Kinuta, Tsuchi Kin and Zaku Abumi. Three ninjas from Hidden Sound demonstrate their abilities against Kabuto but the fight is broken up by an intimidating examiner. He imposingly tells them how they will take a written test and that their actions will also affect their teammates. Moreso, they will be closely studied in case of cheating.

Chapter 41: "The Devil's Whisper" – Sakura and others soon notice that the test is intentionally too hard and that cheating is the only way to win, but the less obvious cheats will prosper as someone caught for the fifth time is disqualified and shown the door. Naruto struggles with it as other ninjas use their special abilities to take down the correct answers from others.

Chapter 42: "Each Person’s Battle" – Hinata willingly risks failing herself to help Naruto, but he declines. More and more teams fail, slowly choking up the grip on the candidates. The classroom seems extremely strict with experienced Chuunins making up the cheat-detectives. With only a short time remaining, the mysterious tenth question is revealed…

Chapter 43: "The Tenth Question" – Introduces Morino Ibiki. The Jounins discuss the head examiner, a sadistic torture specialist named Ibiki who works for Konoha’s secret assassination squad, ANBU. Placing a heavy decision on each of the candidates’ heads, he reveals the price of failing the final question will be a ban on ever taking the exam again and permanent Genin position. Naruto’s unshakable confidence not to quit inspires everyone else, where Ibiki shocks them all by congratulating them for passing.

Chapter 44: "Tested Ability" – Introduces Mitarashi Anko. Ibiki explains the written test was to examine their information gathering and decision making skill. Before anyone can celebrate, the next examiner appears in the shape of Anko, an energetic young woman who leads the physical part of the exam. She gleefully announces her intent to halve the number of successes in the next round, taking place in the “Forest of Death”.

Chapter 45: "The Second Test" – Anko’s darker nature plays up as she even spooks Naruto with a bloody lick on the cheek, even surprising someone who sneaked up on her. Everyone is now aware that blood will be spilled and lives will be lost. The goal is to obtain two different scrolls by taking one from another team and successfully reaching a meeting tower. Briefed, everyone enters the forest with their lives in their hands.